Aberdeen, Midnight After to open HKIFF

Pang Ho-cheung’s Aberdeen and Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After will open this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), which takes place March 24-April 7.

Starring Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung and Gigi Leung, Aberdeen is a drama revolving around different members of an extended Hong Kong family. Post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight After recently premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.

The festival will also screen the world premiere of Beautiful 2014, the third installment in the portmanteau series co-produced by HKIFF and Chinese online video platform Youku. This year, the short films have been directed by Australia’s Christopher Doyle, China’s Zhang Yuan, Hong Kong’s Shu Kei and Korea’s Kang Je-gyu.

Another omnibus film, Three Charmed Lives, will also receive its world premiere at the festival. The film comprises shorts directed by three actors: Hong Kong’s Francis Ng, Taiwan’s Chang Chen and Korea’s Jeong U-seong.

On March 30, the festival will hold a Philippines Day in tribute to victims of Typhoon Yolanda, which will include screenings of Erik Matti’s On The Job and Chris Martinez’ Kimmy Dora: Ang Kiyemeng Prequel.

In total the HKIFF will screen 300 films from 56 countries and regions, including 88 world, international and Asian premieres.

Other highlights include a retrospective of the work of Chinese director Jiang Wen, including restored versions of Devils Of The Doorstep and In The Heat Of The Sun. Isabelle Huppert will attend a screening of Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness.

The festival will also screen several films that recently played at Berlin including Diao Yinan’s Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice and Silver Bear winners Blind Massage and The Little House.

As previously announced, the festival will also screen a series of films produced by Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), including the world premiere of Adam Wong’s ICAC Investigators 2014 – Better Tomorrow.

The festival has added a new venue this year – The Metroplex – the newly completed cinema complex at KITEC.

Dante Lam’s That Demon Within, which also recently premiered at Berlin, will screen as the closing film of the festival.

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